< Back Probate From 1.5% to 0.5% value of estate Free 15 minute Consultation More Information Probate There is a lot to do when an estate needs to be administered. Argo believes in transparency of costs so we will not charge you hourly rates because you need to know what a job will costs. There are three options of how we can charge for estate administration. Previous Next

< Back Lasting Power of Attorney LPAs From £600 + vat Free 15 minute Consultation More Information Lasting Power of Attorney LPAs There are three options of how we can charge for work relating to lasting powers of attorney. Remember there are both property and affairs and health and welfare lasting powers of attorney that you can complete. You may require one or both of these documents but so it is up to you to decide whether you complete one or both. Previous Next

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners Care plans are an important consideration when you (or a loved one) start to lose capacity. There are many ways of funding care and it is important to know what options are available to you and how they can be accessed. Kelly is a TEP, a qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner and belongs to the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. We thought we ought to let you know what that means, so where better to go that the STEP website! STEP say:- STEP is a global professional body, comprising lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures. We set standards, train and educate our members, and ensure standards are upheld. Full STEP members, known as TEPs (Trust and Estate Practitioners), are experts in inheritance and succession planning. You can search our Directory to find a member near you, or to check whether your advisor is a STEP member. What do STEP members do? As specialists in inheritance and succession planning, STEP members draft wills and trusts, administer estates, act as trustees and advise families on how best to structure their finances to ensure compliance and preserve their assets for future generations. Some examples of what STEP members may advise on are: • providing for someone following their partner’s death, while protecting the interests of their children; • ensuring elderly or vulnerable relatives are cared for and supported; • helping families with interests spread across the world to be compliant with the laws and tax rules of different countries; • ensuring that a family business will pass safely from one generation to another; • helping clients to support charitable causes in an effective way. ​ Why use a TEP? Choosing a professional to help you to deal with such important and often sensitive issues can be difficult. Many aspects of planning are non-regulated, meaning anyone can write a will, for example, regardless of training or expertise. With a TEP, you’re in safe hands. Expertise: TEPs are recognised experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience. By joining STEP and maintaining their membership they have also shown significant commitment to their continued professional development in this specialist area. Integrity: TEPs are subject to an extensive Code of Professional Conduct, requiring them to act with integrity and in a manner that inspires the confidence, respect and trust of their clients and of the wider community. In England and Wales, STEP members who draft wills are also bound by STEP's Will Code. These professional standards provide you with a clear understanding of what to expect from a TEP. If you think one of our members is not acting in accordance with these standards, you can make a complaint under our Disciplinary Process. Knowledge: TEPs are required to maintain and develop the knowledge and skills relevant to their role as a condition of their continued membership. This means TEPs will always be up to date with the latest legal, technical and regulatory developments that may affect you and your situation. Connections: TEPs have access to a global network of 20,000 advisors and professionals, enabling them to share knowledge and expertise across professional and geographic boundaries and to offer a joined-up service that can really add value to you as a client. For more information about STEP look at their website www.step.org ​ Each Will is unique but here are some examples of what yours might include: ​ Name of your executor (who will manage the Will) Any Legal Guardians for your children Your funeral wishes/arrangements Personal assets (e.g. jewellery, cars, pictures) Financial assets (money in the bank accounts, any property you own) Name your beneficiaries (who you are leaving your assets to) Why do I need a Will? You decide when you make a Will who you leave your assets to. As soon as you begin to save, purchase your first home, have your first child or inherit money a Will becomes essential. Without a Will you have no say in how your estate will be dealt with and instead, your assets will be divided according to the law. Your family may not end up with all that you wish or their future may be complicated by assets going elsewhere. As long as you are able to give instructions and have capacity to make a Will you can. You decide who will be your executor, who will be the guardian of your young children, who you leave your personal items to and all of your other assets. Do I need a lawyer to write my Will? It is not essential for a lawyer to write your Will. However, the value that a lawyer brings to making a Will is the advice they provide in relation to taxation, care planning, conflict of interest and practicalities. They are also familiar with the terminology that is used to interpret Wills by the Courts so can add valuable insight into what could be the difference between a valid Will or an invalid Will. Where does my Will live? We hold on to all the Wills so that it is safely kept. All our newly written Wills are also added to the National Will Register. What should I never put in my Will? Have you listened to our podcast? Click here Have you read our Care Planning Blog? Click here Always carefully word gifts in your will to avoid giving something away that you might not have at your death (E.g. a bank account that may close before you die). Your Will is a private document so anything that you write in it remains confidential. However, once a Grant of Probate has been issued it becomes a public document which means that anyone can apply to the Probate Registry for a copy. Therefore, it’s best not to include any sensitive reasons as to your thoughts; you don't want the world to see you airing your family disputes in public. It is best to leave out a clause in your will that goes into detail about why you have excluded a beneficiary from your estate. These are often sensitive issues. By all means, you can say that you have specifically excluded a beneficiary but if you feel the need to tell people why, do this in a separate letter to your executors which sits with your will. Get in touch by email, phone, or live chat Details here

Our Privacy Statement Privacy Statement - January 2022 ​ ​ When you provide us with information personal to you, your family and those around you Argo wants you to know that we take the security of this information extremely seriously. This Privacy Statement provides you with details as to how we will collect and use personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. ​ In providing you with this Privacy Statement we promise that we will:- Process your data fairly and lawfully in a transparent way; Confirm the purposes for which we will hold information and explain why we need it; Not use your information for any purpose other than that which has been agreed with you; Only collect information which is relevant to the business we undertake with you; Ensure that the information held is accurate and kept up to date; Keep information only for so long as is necessary for the transaction we undertake on your behalf; and Keep your data securely. ​ Why do we need information? ​ We need information to be able to contact you about advice you require and to ensure that we provide the correct advice for your circumstances. We would like to be able to contact you in the future with any changes in legislation or practice so we can continue to help you plan. We need to collect and process your data to:- Provide you and your family with the service that you have asked us to; Protect your interests as our client; Keep you informed about changes to our services and your transaction; Analyse data to help us manage Argo; Statutory returns; Legal and regulatory compliance; and Ensure the quality of services we offer is continually enhanced and refined. We will never collect any unnecessary personal data from you and will not process it other than as specified in this statement. What information do we need? ​ A rgo will only collect details about you, your family, your financial and your health circumstances to enable us to build a picture of your life to provide the best advice for your circumstances. ​ We may ask for the following information:- Your name Address Date of birth Personal contact details Details of your immediate family members Details of your financial circumstances including details of your bank Details of other companies that you work with or do business with Details of your health circumstances Anti money laundering information ie driving licence, passport ​ Some of the information we may need to collect could be sensitive as there are some things that we need to know to help advise you in the best way. This may include details relating to health and medical information. This is considered to be a special category of data. This information will only be held with your explicit consent. We will collect and process this information to enable us to advise about capacity, care planning and end of life planning as part of the overall advice we give to you. In some circumstances we will not be able to advise you if this information is not provided. In an emergency situation we will need to collect information to enable us to provide the advice you require. Obtaining details in these circumstances can be critical to protecting an individual. Should this situation arise we will take action on your behalf and advise you of how we will utilise this information at an appropriate time later. Argo will gather information from you at our request but it is important that the information you provide to us is accurate and not misleading. How will we use the information about you? ​ The collected information will then be used to draft documents, manage the transaction and provide a historical reference as to your instructions. If you agree, we will use your information to contact you with news that may be of potential interest to you. You have the right at any time to stop us from contacting you for this purpose. We are obliged by HMRC and our regulators, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, to retain financial records and electronic records on our customer relationship system for seven years from the date of last entry. We do not maintain paper records. Any paper records will be returned to you at the completion of the transaction. All files will be destroyed after this seven year period except for files relating to wills, probate and trust matters which we do not destroy. Your personal information will only be shared with members of the Argo team who need to know this information to advise you. Argo uses the services of an independent accountant and auditor for financial purposes. These organisations have signed a confidentiality agreement with Argo but will only have access to financial transactions. We may also be inspected by the Court of Protection and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives who may access your information for the purposes of audit or inspection. Argo uses a case management systems called Lawcloud, Microsoft Office 365 and LexisNexis to manage our client documents. This is always done however in a way which continues to protect the confidentiality of your information. Documents containing personal information are only contained within the Lawcloud case management system We process payments over the telephone through a banking system called Stripe. Argo will not share your information with any third party without your prior consent and approval. ​ Right to access to information ​ You have the right to request details of the information we hold about you. If you believe any of the information we hold about you is incorrect or out of date you have the right to correct it by providing us with updated details. You have the “right to be forgotten” and ask us to delete the personal data we hold about you where it is to be used for the purposes of marketing. You are also able to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances and to object to Argo using information for direct marketing purposes and for profiling. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information please contact Kelly Collier as detailed below. We may make a small charge for this service. ​ Website and Cookies ​ If you provide Argo with any personal data whilst using our website we may use it to provide you with any information or services you have requested. We may also use it for any other purpose for which you have given your consent ie providing you with changes in legislation and process which will affect the advice we have provided. Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard log information and to track visitor behaviour. This information is used to track visitor use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity. ​ Changes to our privacy policy ​ We keep our privacy policy under regular review. Any updates will be published on our webpage. This privacy policy was last updated on 01 January 2022. ​ Right to complain ​ If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal information you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) by visiting www.ico.org.uk/concerns or by telephoning 0303 123 1113. ​ How to contact us ​ If you require further information about this legislation or wish to ask questions about this privacy statement please contact Argo Life & Legacy Ltd First Floor Cooks Barn Turkey Mill Business Centre Ashford Road Maidstone Kent ME14 5PP Please call our office on 01622 843729 or email info@argolifeandlegacy.co.uk Our Data Protection Officer is: Kelly Collier (who can be contacted on the details above). Argo is a data controller and data processor under the terms of the GDPR. We are a company registered in England and Wales under company number 09369221 and are regulated by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives number 2168365. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under registration number ZA147774. Privacy Statement - Jan 2019 download our Privacy Statement

Legal Choices Law Dictionary Easy-to-understand definitions of legal words and expressions Legal advisers and legal documents use special words and phrases. Sometimes they're hard to understand. The Legal Choices law dictionary aims to explain legal language. Just enter the word or term Book here

Dementia Questions and Answers Dementia is a widespread condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It not only has a significant impact on individuals who live with it it but also on their families and loved ones. The good news is that there are steps you can take to protect your family and reduce the impact dementia can have on your family. ​ There are many types of dementia. Dementia symptoms vary from person to person. When you add to the dementia mix, people, with our individual personalities, quirks and funnies no two people living with dementia will have the same experience. That's why, here at Argo, the support and advice we give each client is truly tailored to their needs. ​ We have developed a practical five point plan to get the boring stuff sorted early on so that you can live, laugh and make memories. ​ ​ Capacity Lasting Powers of Attorney Court of Protection Property and Affairs Applications Finances Wills Care Each Will is unique but here are some examples of what yours might include: ​ Name of your executor (who will manage the Will) Any Legal Guardians for your children Your funeral wishes/arrangements Personal assets (e.g. jewellery, cars, pictures) Financial assets (money in the bank accounts, any property you own) Name your beneficiaries (who you are leaving your assets to) Download here End of Life Fun! Professional Support We know that when it comes to legal matters, you need the very best support possible. That's why we have a team of specialists on hand to help you out. Call Us - 01622 843729

Our Accessibility Statement Accessibility Statement ​ This is an accessibility statement from Argo Life and Legacy Ltd. ​ Measures to support accessibility ​ Argo Life and Legacy Ltd takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of www.argolifeandlegacy.co.uk ​ Include accessibility as part of our mission statement Appoint an accessibility officer and/or ombudsperson Provide continual accessibility training for our staff ​ Conformance status The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. www.argolifeandlegacy.co.uk is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard. ​ Feedback We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of www.argolifeandlegacy.co.uk . Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers by contacting us by the following methods:- ​ Phone: 01622843729 E-mail: post@argolifeandlegacy.co.uk Visitor Address: First floor Cooks Barn, Turkey Mill Business Centre, Ashford Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 4PP Postal Address: First floor Cooks Barn, Turkey Mill Business Centre, Ashford Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 4PP ​ We try to respond to feedback within 5 working days. ​ Privacy Statement - Jan 2019 download our Assessment Statement

Our Social & Wellbeing Services Getting Started frequently asked questions What can go into your will? Each Will is unique but here are some examples of what yours might include: ​ Name of your executor (who will manage the Will) Any Legal Guardians for your children Your funeral wishes/arrangements Personal assets (e.g. jewellery, cars, pictures) Financial assets (money in the bank accounts, any property you own) Name your beneficiaries (who you are leaving your assets to) Why do I need a Will? You decide when you make a Will who you leave your assets to. As soon as you begin to save, purchase your first home, have your first child or inherit money a Will becomes essential. Without a Will you have no say in how your estate will be dealt with and instead, your assets will be divided according to the law. Your family may not end up with all that you wish or their future may be complicated by assets going elsewhere. As long as you are able to give instructions and have capacity to make a Will you can. You decide who will be your executor, who will be the guardian of your young children, who you leave your personal items to and all of your other assets. Do I need a lawyer to write my Will? It is not essential for a lawyer to write your Will. However, the value that a lawyer brings to making a Will is the advice they provide in relation to taxation, care planning, conflict of interest and practicalities. They are also familiar with the terminology that is used to interpret Wills by the Courts so can add valuable insight into what could be the difference between a valid Will or an invalid Will. Where does my Will live? We hold on to all the Wills so that it is safely kept. All our newly written Wills are also added to the National Will Register. What should I never put in my Will? Always carefully word gifts in your will to avoid giving something away that you might not have at your death (E.g. a bank account that may close before you die). Your Will is a private document so anything that you write in it remains confidential. However, once a Grant of Probate has been issued it becomes a public document which means that anyone can apply to the Probate Registry for a copy. Therefore, it’s best not to include any sensitive reasons as to your thoughts; you don't want the world to see you airing your family disputes in public. It is best to leave out a clause in your will that goes into detail about why you have excluded a beneficiary from your estate. These are often sensitive issues. By all means, you can say that you have specifically excluded a beneficiary but if you feel the need to tell people why, do this in a separate letter to your executors which sits with your will. "Working with Argo has been calm, straightforward and incredibly reassuring. I could not recommend them highly enough" ​ - Mrs Normal, Maidstone Have you listened to our podcast? Click here Have you read our Care Planning Blog? Click here Get in touch by email, phone, or live chat Details here

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When someone dies, it can be devastating and overwhelming. Bereavement affects us all differently but everyone will cope with their loss in a different way. No matter how you're feeling there's nothing wrong with letting yourself grieve, however long or short that may feel at the time. ​ Dealing with a loved ones probate can feel like an added stress. Even if you’re prepared to handle it yourself, getting some help will make the process easier. It can be tough coping with a loved one's death. Understanding what happens with the probate application and tax liabilities is just another thing, on top of your grief, that needs sorting through. Our advice makes it less daunting when things happen - ensuring peace for mind knowing everything has been done correctly, by someone who knows their stuff helps! ​ Contact us to arrange a FREE 15 minute consultation to find out how we can help Click here for costs information Book Here Probate

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